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Roland Lewis, president and chief executive of the Waterfront Alliance, took questions about New York City’s waterfront on the New York Times’ Cityroom blog this weekend, and second up was Red Hook, and the Todd Shipyard, razed to make way for IKEA’s parking lot. He called the loss a “tough blow to the maritime industry in New York,” especially since a study confirmed we need an additional eight ship repair centers to stay in the maritime business. Red Hook’s the perfect spot for such activity, he says, with its deep water, but retail continues to replace industry there. One rumor making the rounds in the neighborhood is that the vacant lots across from IKEA, where once the Revere Sugar Factory stood, are going to be a Sam’s Club. That’s right, Wal-Mart’s stepbrother might be moving in. Anybody else heard such rumblings? Anybody think it’s a little sad that prime waterfront space is being reserved for multinational corporations?
Answers About New York City’s Waterfront [NY Times]
Photo by FrankLynch


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  1. let me get this straight: the financial sector is all about making money, but “industry” is not? come on. the history of industry has not been particularly friendly to labor and the environment.

  2. Disagree, DIBS- Not investing in industry is a big mistake. Expecting the Financial sector and Wall Street to have NYC’s best interests at heart rather than inventing even more ways to make money at everyone else’s expense, is like expecting WAMU to give me a house. There’s a bigger picture here and if we have the money to invest in overblown monstrosities like AY, we can find the money to build industry. Ship repair, not ship building- different thing. Maybe its time to stop thinking just of the here and now, and look to the long term and think things out a little differently than we have been.

  3. We don’t need Sam’s Club.

    We have Costco already – a company that treats it’s employees way better than most retail stores.

    Walmart/Sam’s Club is part of the problem in this country, not the solution.

  4. Shipbuilding has peaked with the peak in the Baltic freight Index. orders are being cancelled with the major Korean shipbuilders.

    Sell the fugly buildings on these lots to developers…condo, Sam’s, Wal-Mart, the highest bidders. get the crap cleaned up and developed. Or turn large portions into parks, a la Chicago….which isn’t going to happen because the city has no money.

    No industry in their right mind is going to relocate a manufacturing facility into high-cost NYC. Get real.

  5. I totally agreed with bxgrl policy-wise. However, ship repair facilities, if they were feasible at all as generally industry is not any more in NYC, would need cheap or free land to make it possible. Fuggedaboutit.

  6. BK- yes, I do. And the City needs it. If there were a better economy and job market, Red Hook residents, and other NYers, would have jobs so they could spend on retail goods. Pushing retail at the expense of industry is shortsighted.

    How long will a retail store survive in an economy like this? And retail jobs are not the highest paying nor do they come with great benefits (if Sam’s Club is like walmart you can bet on that). It’s like a house of cards- the entire country has lost so much of its manufacturing base yet we are a consumer society. Look at what is going on in the economy today and tell me again why you think we need more stores rather than industry. Just my particular rant but how many more tchotckes , and dresses do we need to be able to buy? From companies who manufacture in China?

  7. From the looks of that picture, its really going to be a tough blow to the maritime industry. Looks like that building and dock area haven’t been used since I was a kid. Bring on the Sam’s Wholesale Club. They have all name brand merchandise that’s dirt cheap in huge lot sizes. Just what we need with hikes in MTA, ConEdison, Keyspan, gas, and food to name a few.

  8. I confess to liking Ikea but that doesn’t mean I think the whole area should now become big box stores. It’s more important to keep a healthy balance of industry and community. the maritime industry used to be so much important and we should be building it up again and broadening NYC’s economic base. there’s enough waterfront property given over to fancy condos and parks. A working waterfront is crucial, especially now and the City should be doing everything to ensure that. Unfortunately our Mayor seems overly focused on finance and luxury housing, not industry. At least that seems to have been the trend since he got into office. I just think it plays up consumerism rather than broad based job creation.

  9. Only way you’ll ever get jobs for red hook residents is retail. Only way….

    And do you believe that large ship repair companies will pay for the land and invest hundreds of millions to build modern, full union 21st centry ship repair facilities in nyc?

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